Chapter 46 The Demon Queen and the Treacherous Ministers: They both let go and gripped their hands tightly, afraid of breaking them...
"Your Majesty, while I was traveling, I passed by a cherry orchard and saw that the cherries on the trees were fresh, so I picked a few."
Meng Xun handed a few clusters of cherry branches through the window, then pulled a carefully wrapped bundle of cherries from his pocket. He grinned, revealing two neat canine teeth:
"These cherries have been washed clean by the stream; Your Highness can eat them directly."
Chu Yueyuan reached out and took the handkerchief, taking the opportunity to ask, "On the night of the Lantern Festival, what happened to you afterwards...?"
The woman's bright eyes sparkled, and her tone was full of concern. Meng Xun felt a warm current flow through his heart, and he was so moved that his whole body felt hot.
"Your Highness left early that night, what a pity, you didn't see how I utterly routed those Imperial Guards... Heh, not a single one of them was a match for me, except... of course... except for that masked man who lacked martial ethics and launched a sneak attack. If I had been on guard, I certainly wouldn't have been thrown over by his grappling move..."
He talked on and on, but the more he talked, the more off-topic he became.
Chu Yueyuan was getting a headache from listening to him, so she quickly interrupted him: "Get to the point!"
Meng Xun rubbed the back of his head and smiled nonchalantly: "I was imprisoned for five days by the Prefect of the Capital for the crime of provoking trouble. Later, General Kan intervened and cleared the way, and we were all released."
"Did they torture you while you were in the dungeon?"
"Of course not." Meng Xun patted his chest and said, "I am now the General of the Western Army, a proper fifth-rank official!"
Chu Yueyuan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Regent was magnanimous, while she had judged him with her petty mind.
She looked at the robust young man in front of her and could clearly feel that he was very different from when he was young. The battlefield with its flying sand and stones not only tempers one's mind but also sculpts one's physical form.
The former Earl of Loyalty, aside from his tall stature, was no different from the sons of noble families in the capital, his frivolous nature reminiscent of those in the brothel circle.
The current Meng Xun has become much more composed. A brown sash cinches his narrow waist, making him strong and powerful, and his brows now exude a sharpness.
Chu Yueyuan leaned against the windowsill, her bright eyes curving slightly, and teased, "So what if he's the General of the Western Army? When he sees me, he still has to bow and greet me respectfully."
Meng Xun gazed at the woman's bright, smiling face, the smile in his eyes gradually fading.
The woman was not wearing a phoenix robe. Her face was fair and delicate, her eyebrows were like willow leaves, her eyes were bright and charming, her lips were red and her teeth were white. Her appearance was as beautiful as it had been two years ago, no, she was even more stunning.
He suddenly realized that she was still the same Chu family girl he knew, his beloved goose.
However, the Imperial Guards that suddenly appeared on the night of the Lantern Festival, and the imposing guards protecting the carriage at this moment, all reminded him that the woman in front of him was no longer the Chu family's youngest daughter.
She was the Empress Dowager of the Great Qi Dynasty.
The distance between the two had grown from a foot to an insurmountable chasm.
Meng Xun lowered his head, his hand gripping the reins tightly: "This humble official did not expect Your Highness to enter the palace. It is my fault for being too stupid. I was too busy inquiring about the Xiao family's situation in the Northwest Camp. If I had known earlier, I would have risked my life to come back and stop all of this from happening."
After emerging from the dungeon, Meng Xun returned to the Meng residence covered in wounds. Only then did he learn from his father that Chu Yueyuan had entered the palace a year earlier. On the night of her wedding, she was caught in the Shu King's coup attempt. After the late emperor's death, she became the Grand Empress Dowager, assisting the young emperor.
Meng Xun was struck dumb, standing there in shock, unable to recover from the news for a long time.
Madam Meng was so angry that she pointed at her husband's nose and scolded him for being a fool. She said that their son had been exposed to the wind and sun in the northwest for two and a half years for that woman, and he didn't know how to put it more tactfully.
When Meng Xun was in the Northwest Camp, he once heard his superiors make jokes after drinking, saying that the young empress dowager in the palace was beautiful and dissolute by nature. She not only had affairs with young officials in the court, but also kept many male lovers in the palace. She was a wicked empress who brought disaster to the country and the people.
Little did he know that the Great Qi Demon Queen mentioned by his superiors was none other than Chu Yueyuan.
Meng Xun became more and more remorseful as he spoke, and raised his hand to slap himself several times: "It's all my fault. I insisted on making a name for myself and competing with Shen Zizhan, and in the end, I lost you!"
Chu Yueyuan frowned: "Major General Meng... what are you doing?"
She softened her tone and said gently, "I am very happy now. There are countless gorgeous clothes and jewelry, and delicacies in the palace. I no longer have to endure Du's cold words. Every time she enters the palace to pay her respects to the Emperor, she has to bow to me with utmost respect. Isn't this a thousand times better than the days when I had to watch people's faces?"
"Grasshopper, wasn't your childhood dream to become a great general who protects the people? Now you are already the General of the Western Army, not far from becoming a great general. I am truly happy for you."
The phrase "grasshopper" made Meng Xun suddenly raise his head.
The young man's eyes burned with passion, as if he wanted to lay bare his true feelings: "Big Goose, I want to become a general, all because you said you wanted to be a noblewoman. I'm not good at literature, I only know how to fight. Only by becoming a general can I make you a noblewoman."
Chu Yueyuan sighed. Meng Xun's words were becoming more and more unreliable. If these words were to reach that person's ears, Meng Xun might not even be able to keep his title of General of the Western Army.
"The past is gone, Major General Meng, please be careful with your words."
She paused, then said seriously, "And what happened on the night of the Lantern Festival, General Meng, pretend nothing happened. Tell your soldiers to keep quiet, or I won't be able to protect your lives."
Meng Xun's eyes darkened, still unwilling to give up, he asked, "This humble official would like to know, was the man who accompanied the Empress Dowager out of the palace to admire the lanterns on the night of the Lantern Festival Your Highness's?
Chu Yueyuan: ....
Thinking of the man with the wolf mask and impressive skills, Meng Xun felt a surge of hatred. Suppressing his sour feelings, he said jealously, "This isn't the Empress Dowager's fault. Your Highness, a weak woman in the palace, needs capable help. You can only blame myself for arriving too late..."
"Your Highness, please wait. I will stay in the capital and work hard to become the commander of the Imperial Guard as soon as possible. When that time comes, I hope Your Highness will accept me as your personal guest."
One after another, the "guests" entered the room, making Chu Yue's acupoints throb.
She even suspected that, given Meng Xun's limited knowledge, he must have consulted others about the term "guest of the inner circle."
In Meng Xun's own words, it was a "wild man."
Chu Yueyuan opened her red lips, but ultimately swallowed her words of explanation.
"That man is not my favorite. I have no favorites. Even if I do in the future, I will not choose General Meng, because you are still as stupid and foolish as before!"
After Chu Yueyuan finished speaking angrily, she slammed the window shut with a "bang".
Meng Xun sat on his horse in a daze, stunned for a long while, before he burst into a hearty laugh.
He spurred his horse to catch up with the carriage, and shamelessly tapped lightly on the window frame, his voice low but full of joy: "This humble official believed the rumors and misunderstood the Empress Dowager, and... the goose is still as fierce as ever."
Inside the carriage, Chu Yueyuan tossed the handkerchief containing cherries onto the long rosewood table. The bright red cherries, as if they had spread their legs, instantly rolled into a pile.
As Jin Tong picked up the scattered cherries and placed them into a sky-blue porcelain plate, she smiled and said, "Even though Prince Meng has become a fifth-rank junior general, he's still so dim-witted, always managing to anger His Highness. But look, these cherries are big and red; you can tell that Prince Meng carefully selected them."
Chu Yueyuan wasn't really angry, she just felt that Meng Xun had a loose tongue, and to make matters worse, he was working under the Regent. Wasn't this like grabbing offerings from the King of Hell's table—courting death?
After much deliberation, fearing that his loose tongue might bring him harm, she instructed Jin Tong:
"Go and fill two jugs with plum juice. Give one jug to Lord Shen to quench his thirst, and give the other jug to General Meng. Also, tell him not to mention to anyone that he saw me during the Lantern Festival."
"Yes, ma'am."
Every day upon arriving at the inn, Lin Mu would report the Empress Dowager's daily routine to the Regent in detail.
Tonight, Fulu, who was standing by the desk serving ink and brush, sensed that something was amiss.
He silently calculated in his mind that since Commander Lin spoke, the prince had already written three replies that were discarded.
With Prime Minister Shen and Lin Sizhou in charge in the capital, most government affairs can be handled smoothly. If a thorny issue arises, Lin Sizhou will send a messenger on horseback to deliver a letter for the Regent to decide.
The tiny candlelight illuminated the man's deep and cold features. When he heard Lin Mu mention that the Empress Dowager had arrived at the post station, he instructed Jin Tong to send a pot of plum juice to Lord Shen and Major General Meng.
His hand holding the wolf-hair brush stopped, and a drop of thick ink fell from the tip of the brush onto the neatly written paper.
Fu Lu saw this and couldn't help but hold his breath. His master was the shrewd eunuch Wang in the palace. Before he left, his master told him to pretend not to see what he saw and to pretend not to hear what he heard.
He lowered his head and silently ground the ink.
Pei Muwei stared at the stained paper, his expression unchanging. Without a trace of regret, he crumpled the almost-finished reply into a ball and tossed it into the wastebasket.
"Go on."
Lin Mu swallowed hard, his gaze secretly sweeping over the Regent sitting behind the table. He lowered his head and continued to report, "His Highness has already had dinner and is currently playing the zither in his room."
As soon as he finished speaking, a series of piano notes came from the next room, playing the fourth section of "Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank"—"Shadows on the Sandbank".
The piano music is clear and flowing, with movement within stillness. The melody rises and falls, and when you listen closely, you can't help but imagine a flock of geese circling around, about to land.
Pei Muwei put down the wolf-hair brush and took the damp cloth soaked in cedar wood from Fu Lu to wipe his fingertips.
The bright moonlight spilled across the window.
His room was on the second floor of the inn. He strolled to the window, where the pine trees swayed gently in the night breeze. The melodious sound of the zither, accompanied by the rustling of the pine needles, was like dark waves, stretching out dark watermarks in his heart.
The man stood with his hands behind his back in the dim moonlight, which cast a long shadow of him, and his narrow, dark eyes gleamed with the coolness of the night.
Two pots of plum juice, one for my former lover, and one for my childhood sweetheart.
He was wrong before; the woman had never treated everyone equally. Pei Muwei habitually touched the sandalwood prayer beads on his wrist, his thin lips pressed tightly together, and his gaze gradually darkened.
———
Chu Yueyuan played the zither to pass the time, then looked up and saw that the moonlight outside the window was beautiful. So she took Jin Tong for a walk in the woods outside the post station.
In terms of scenery, the small woods in the wilderness are far inferior to the Imperial Garden, which is planted with various famous flowers and ancient trees and is carefully maintained by craftsmen every day. However, Chu Yueyuan had been cooped up on the road for too long, so she enjoyed even the dark woods.
The wildflowers and weeds in front of me grow haphazardly, but they are in their original, untrimmed state.
"The postmaster said there is an apricot grove behind the courtyard. The apricots that the Empress Dowager ate for dinner were from that grove. If Your Highness likes them, I will ask General Meng to pick some more."
Upon hearing Jin Tong's words, Chu Yueyuan's eyes lit up.
Long ago in the Chu family mansion, my mother had an apricot tree planted in her courtyard. Every year at the end of May, the ground beneath its emerald green leaves would be laden with golden fruit, filling the entire courtyard with a faint, sweet fragrance.
My mother said apricots are a good thing; the flesh can be used to make pastries, the juice can be used to make desserts, and the kernels can be made into almond paste.
Her eyes crinkled as she said, “There’s no need to trouble General Meng. We can go ourselves and pick more. We can make apricot shortbread drinks in the carriage tomorrow to pass the time.”
"Alright, alright, make the apricot shortbread drink and distribute it to Lord Shen and General Meng."
The master and servant both thought it was a good idea, and they helped each other walk deeper into the woods.
Just as the guards responsible for protecting the young empress dowager were about to follow, they suddenly heard a deep male voice behind them.
"You may all step back."
The two guards exchanged a glance, bowed their heads in tacit agreement, and quietly withdrew from the woods.
After walking for about half a cup of tea's time, the view suddenly opened up, and a large apricot orchard laden with fruit appeared before us.
Chu Yueyuan walked and stopped, occasionally looking up to observe the fruit on the tree. It was not yet the Lesser Fullness of Grain season, and the clusters of fruit on the branches were mostly half green and half yellow. The fruit for making apricot drinks needed to be fully ripe, otherwise the taste would be bitter.
The moonlight gently spilled onto the ground, and the woman's crimson brocade dress was faintly visible among the lush green leaves. She tilted her head slightly, her bright eyes reflecting the moon, and her cheeks were rosy and radiant, like perfectly ripe apricots, with a sweet taste and a slight hint of tartness.
Jin Tong found a tree branch in the forest. Chu Yueyuan was in charge of picking out the fruit, while Jin Tong was in charge of knocking down the ripe fruit from the branches.
Picking fruit was not part of Chu Yueyuan's plan for her stroll. Since they hadn't brought a bamboo basket, Chu Yueyuan simply scooped up the fallen fruit into her clothes, filling them to the brim in no time.
But these apricots are far from enough to make apricot shortbread.
Jin Tong wiped the sweat from her brow, regretting not having called Major General Meng to come along. Meng Xun was tall and strong; jumping up the tree to knock down the fruit would surely have been much easier. She looked around and spotted a guard standing under the heavy shadows of the trees, excitedly calling out:
"You, come here right now!"
She called out several times, but the guard under the tree's shadow remained motionless. Jin Tong was displeased. Grasping her wooden stick, she took two steps forward, adopting the air of a fourth-rank imperial concubine, and pointed at the man, saying:
"I'm talking to you. Hurry up and come help His Highness pick fruit."
The hem of his dark robe flowed silently under the moonlight, gleaming with a faint luster, while his jade pendants swayed gently in the breeze, making a tinkling sound.
When Jin Tong saw the man's cold and stern face clearly, she was so frightened that she dropped the wooden stick in her hand and said in a trembling voice, "This servant...this servant greets the Regent."
Chu Yueyuan was engrossed in making her choice when she suddenly heard Jin Tong's panicked voice. She turned around and her gaze met those dark, piercing eyes.
Having not met the man's cool, aloof gaze for so long, she was completely unprepared. Her fingers, which had been gripping her clothes, loosened, and the handful of apricots she was holding scattered. Several apricots rolled down the ground and bumped into a pair of black boots with gold embroidery.
Pei Muwei picked up the fallen apricot, walked towards the little empress dowager with her wide, bright eyes, took her hand, and placed the golden apricot in her palm.
"Apricots are delicious, but eating too many can harm your stomach. Your Highness, please don't be greedy."
His tone was calm, as if he were merely a minister concerned for his lord's health, offering well-intentioned advice.
However, Chu Yueyuan still noticed that the Regent emphasized the word "greed".
The all-powerful dragon lord is really meddling in other people's business. It's not like he planted this apricot grove with a hoe; he's already extending his claws in front of her.
After silently muttering a few words to herself, Chu Yueyuan withdrew her hand without showing any emotion, her eyes sparkling, and smiled faintly: "Thank you for reminding me, Minister Pei. I will remember it."
The man showed no sign of leaving; his deep gaze, almost tangible, etched itself onto her face. Chu Yueyuan's heart pounded. The sandalwood scent lingering around her nose couldn't calm her; instead, it only made her more agitated.
"The Empress Dowager looks much better; it seems her chest tightness and shortness of breath have improved."
Chu Yueyuan lowered her head and nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Minister Pei. I do feel much better today."
Pei Muwei slowly turned the jade thumb ring, his gaze falling on the woman's beautifully curved neck. He sneered, "With the arrival of Lord Shen and General Meng, His Highness's illness was cured without any treatment. The two of them are truly His Highness's panacea."
Chu Yueyuan clenched her fingers. She looked up and stared directly into the man's eyes, which matched the moonlight. Instead of being angered by his words, she smiled gently: "Pei Qing's words are interesting, as if I am a female demon who specializes in absorbing men's yang energy."
Whether the smile in a woman's eyes is genuine or not, when she smiles, her originally bright eyes and brows will become charming and alluring.
She's definitely a female demon.
She added, “Lord Shen is refined and considerate, while General Meng is chivalrous, generous, witty, and humorous. They happen to be old acquaintances of mine, so I won’t find the journey boring with them by my side.”
"Speaking of which, I must thank Minister Pei for his meticulous arrangements."
Pei Muwei slightly lifted his eyelids, and in contrast to the faint smile on his face, his eyes were dark and deep, and his voice was cold: "Your Majesty, there is no need for thanks. If my brother knew that Your Highness is living so comfortably, he would be pleased in the afterlife."
Chu Yueyuan raised her chin and retorted with sharp tongue, "Not at all, not at all. If my husband knew that the Great Qi Empire was thriving under Pei Qing's rule, he would be smiling in the afterlife."
He mocked her as a wicked empress, and she ridiculed him as a treacherous minister.
One of the emperor and his minister looked up, while the other lowered his brows. Neither was willing to look away first. Their gazes collided in the air, as if exploding into intense sparks.
Jin Tong, watching from the side, was terrified. She quickly stepped forward and whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, the apricots have all fallen on the ground. This servant will go and pick them up right away."
Chu Yueyuan's neck ached from looking up. Following Jin Tong's words, she looked at the apricot on the ground with its skin broken. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a hint of regret appeared in her eyes.
These perfectly good apricots have been wasted like this.
"No need. I'm tired anyway, let's go back."
Chu Yueyuan walked quickly past the Regent, and when they were some distance apart, she turned to the side and whispered:
"If a female demon could attain immortality, why would she risk her soul and body to steal a person's yang energy? I am just a powerless little demon, without the protection of any evil god or the offerings of incense. I only want to survive."
"Lord Shen and Major General Meng are both old acquaintances of mine before I entered the palace. Out of consideration for our past friendship, they have been looking out for me. If Immortal Pei feels that my actions are immoral, you might as well send the two of them back to the capital tomorrow, so that you won't be suspicious all the time."
The sound of rustling footsteps came from behind, and when everything fell silent, the unique fragrance of the woman was drowned out by the fragrance of apricots in the garden.
Pei Mu's long fingers twirled the sandalwood prayer beads on his wrist. He had several impulses to tear the bracelet off, but he restrained himself at the last moment.
The moonlight shone on the man's angular face, his brow bones were deep, and his dark eyes were always shrouded in shadow, indistinct and unclear.
The instant the woman's sleeve brushed against the back of his hand, Pei Muwei admitted that he had an impulse to fall from grace and become a demon, wanting to hold her tightly in his arms.
Even though this sorceress never had a single genuine feeling for him, it was all a lie.
Pei Muwei's lips curled slightly as he quickly dismissed the absurd thought from his mind. If he didn't even have self-control, what difference would there be between him and his father, who only knew how to seize by force?
He is not himself.
————
The next morning, Chu Yueyuan was groggily awakened by Jin Tong. After washing and dressing, she yawned and pushed open the door.
Lin Mu was waiting at the door early, carrying a bamboo basket in his hand. He said, "Your Majesty, the Regent has ordered me to deliver this basket to Miss Jin."
Chu Yueyuan's gaze fell on the overflowing golden apricots in the bamboo basket. Her eyes flickered, and she blurted out, "Where did these come from?"
Lin Mu replied truthfully, "This humble official is not aware of the matter either; I was merely following orders."
Chu Yueyuan was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Then you can give it to Jin Tong and tell him that I thank the prince."
"Your subordinate obeys."
———
Qinghu Mountain is rainy, and the humidity is extremely high during the day and night. Even if you burn jasmine incense in the stove, you can't cover up the damp smell.
Chu Yueyuan pushed open the carriage window, and all she could see was a hazy white mist, obscuring the road ahead. She could only tell that the carriage was passing through a valley by looking at the steep mountain walls.
A recent downpour caused mud and gravel to slide down the hillside onto the official road.
To be on the safe side, Pei Muwei ordered the convoy to be divided into two groups. Shen Zizhan and Meng Xun led one group to scout ahead and clear away the rubble along the way.
Only after receiving news that they had successfully passed through the canyon did Chu Yueyuan's second team begin their journey.
"These apricots yielded a total of four pots of apricot juice. As Your Highness instructed, one pot was given to Lord Shen, one to General Meng, one for ourselves, and this pot is left..."
Jin Tong stopped halfway through her sentence.
Chu Yueyuan closed the window. She immediately guessed Jin Tong's little scheme and teased, "What does Lady Jin plan to do with the remaining jar?"
Jin Tong's face flushed red instantly. She fidgeted with the handkerchief in her hand, her voice involuntarily softening: "How could this servant dare to make decisions for the Empress Dowager? It's just that Commander Lin has been chasing after me these past few days, asking if the apricot cake and wine are ready yet?"
Chu Yueyuan rested her chin on her hand, smiling faintly as she raised her eyebrows: "Hmm, I'm afraid Commander Lin's intentions are not what they seem. Alas, daughters grow up and leave home..."
"Your Highness, please don't tease me. I will go and tell Commander Lin to stop thinking about the wine."
Chu Yueyuan stopped Jin Tong, her smile fading, and she sighed softly:
"Commander Lin is a fine young man, handsome and kind. Although he is a bit older than you, he is a good match for you. If you are interested, I will speak to the Regent and once we return to the capital, I will release you from the palace and prepare a generous dowry for you so that you can be married off in a grand manner."
Jin Tong's eyes reddened, and she shook her head vigorously: "This servant has long decided not to marry and to follow and serve you for the rest of my life."
"Why are you following me? I'm a widow, and if things change in the future... who knows where I'll end up..." Chu Yueyuan smiled wryly, her tone forlorn.
In the harem, she couldn't let go of three people: Xiao Yun, who was her blood relative, and Xu Mama and Jin Tong.
Jin Tong is a year younger than Chu Yueyuan. Her mother was a maid of Madam Hu. She once accompanied Madam Hu from Yangzhou to the capital to find her husband. Later, Madam Hu stayed in the Chu family, returned her slave contract, and gave her a sum of money for resettlement.
Hu was unlucky in love, as was Jin Tong's mother. Her new husband was a gambler who not only gambled away her dowry and accumulated a mountain of gambling debts, but also beat her at the drop of a hat.
Finally, burdened with debt, this beast even considered selling his newborn daughter to pay off his debts.
Jin Tong's mother, having nowhere else to turn, took advantage of Xu Mama's absence while she was out shopping. She handed the infant Jin Tong to Xu Mama, went home without looking back, sharpened a knife, walked towards her husband who was fast asleep on the kang (a heated brick bed), and with a swift stroke, hanged herself.
When a person dies, their debts are settled.
Jin Tong inherited three parts of her mother's backbone. When some unruly servants in the Chu household disrespected Madam Hu, Jin Tong, in her teens, followed the example of Granny Xu, rolled up her sleeves, and argued with those people. For this, she was severely punished by Madam Du. However, when Chu Yueyuan applied medicine to her, she gritted her teeth and refused to cry out in pain.
If Chu Yueyuan could arrange a good place for Jin Tong, she would be able to put her mind at ease. However, she had a falling out with Pei Muwei last time, so how could she find an opportunity to bring up this matter with him?
The man was sensitive and suspicious. Just because Shen Zizhan and Meng Xun spoke a few words to her, he assigned them the arduous task of scouting.
If she speaks up, will he again suspect that she has ulterior motives for betrothing Jin Tong to Lin Mu?
Seeing how earnest Chu Yueyuan was, Jin Tong knelt down in desperation, wiping away her tears as she said, "Your Highness, please don't send me away. I really don't want to get married..."
Chu Yueyuan smiled and helped her up. "Alright, alright, it's not like I'm marrying you off tomorrow. You are, after all, a fourth-rank Phoenix Lady Official in the Phoenix Palace. I still need to consider whether Commander Lin is qualified."
As the master and servant were talking, the carriage seemed to be violently struck by something, and it slid sharply to the right. Chu Yueyuan's expression changed, and she quickly pulled Jin Tong into her arms.
In an instant, the world spun around, and the sounds of horses neighing, coachmen shouting in alarm, and various other chaotic noises filled my ears.
After an unknown amount of time, the speeding carriage finally came to a stop, and all the chaotic sounds ceased, with only the sound of rain pattering on the carriage canopy.
Chu Yueyuan opened her eyes shakily and found that the entire carriage was completely upside down, with the roof below her and the door above her head. Tea and candied fruit were spilled everywhere. Fortunately, the screen, tables, chairs and low couch were firmly fixed with mortise and tenon joints and did not fall on the two of them when the carriage overturned.
However, Jin Tong was hit on the head by a flying crystal teapot while protecting Chu Yueyuan, and blood was flowing down her forehead.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager? Miss Jin'er? Are you alright?" Commander Lin's anxious voice rang out from outside the carriage.
Chu Yueyuan steadied herself and replied, "Jin Tong is injured. Quickly, let her go out and stop the bleeding!"
Just as she was about to get up, the Regent's deep voice came from outside the carriage again: "Your Highness, do not get out of the carriage. Listen carefully to what I have to say. Do not get up. Crawl to the right window. Be gentle. I will be right below the window."
Whether it was Chu Yueyuan's imagination or not, she seemed to catch a subtle tremor in the man's usually calm tone.
Although she was not clear about the current situation, out of trust in the man, Chu Yueyuan still pulled Jin Tong and slowly crawled to the car window.
However, during this process, the car body began to sway uncontrollably, and a stream of rainwater suddenly poured in through the broken left window.
Pei Muwei said urgently, "Your Highness, don't move!"
Chu Yueyuan obediently stayed in place until the car body regained its stability. She moved her body little by little until she reached the window, by which time she was soaked by the rain.
Pushing open the car window, she saw a man's pale face, wet with rain. He frowned as he looked at her, his long eyelashes adorned with glistening water droplets, his dark eyes like the deepest lake, as deep and unfathomable as ink, making it difficult to discern the emotions hidden within.
His voice was exceptionally gentle: "Your Highness, give me your hand."
Chu Yueyuan replied without hesitation, "Jin Tong is injured, let her go out first."
Pei Muwei didn't say much, only said "okay".
Jin Tong was pushed out of the car window by Chu Yueyuan in a daze. After her feet touched the ground, she turned her head and looked down. Her face turned pale. If Lin Mu hadn't covered her mouth in time, she would have screamed.
"Your Highness, please do not look down. Simply place your hand in my hand."
Chu Yueyuan had already leaned half her body out of the car window. The rain hitting her face made her want to lower her eyelashes, but when she heard the Regent's words, she still tried to open her eyes, put her hand in the man's warm palm, and used the last bit of strength in her body to throw herself into his arms.
He held her so tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his body.
With her feet firmly planted on the ground, Chu Yueyuan saw that there were many guards around her. Her face flushed, and she tried to push the man away, but he was like a small mountain and she couldn't budge him no matter how hard she tried. His strong and warm chest gave her a sense of security for some reason.
"What exactly happened?"
“A huge rock has rolled down from the mountaintop, and one of the rocks has hit the Empress Dowager’s carriage. Your Highness, please rest in my carriage first, and let Imperial Physician Huang take your pulse.”
Chu Yueyuan turned around to see how badly the carriage was damaged, but Pei Muwei reached out to block her way, and she turned her head to avoid him.
Through the misty haze, she saw a flat-headed, red-painted carriage teetering precariously on the edge of a cliff, its left half hanging in mid-air. The driver and horses at the front of the carriage were nowhere to be seen.
Chu Yueyuan's heart tightened, and she realized that the shouts she had heard earlier were the desperate cries of the coachman and the horses as they fell off the cliff.
Although one may have guessed seven or eight parts of the truth, people often feel not relief when they survive a disaster, but fear of narrowly escaping death.
A chill swept through Chu Yueyuan's body with the icy rain, making her feel exceptionally tired. Her ears began to ring, the ringing growing louder and louder, blurring her vision...
Before her last vestige of consciousness faded, she vaguely heard the man's anxious voice calling, "Your Highness, Your Highness, Niannian..."
Chu Yueyuan had a dream in which her mother combed her hair by the sunlit window.
At that time, her mother gently called her by her maiden name: Niannian.
When she was little, Chu Yueyuan didn't understand why her mother gave her this name. She felt that "Niannian" didn't sound good at all, and it was far less grand than her sister's "Shihua".
Her beauty was unparalleled, like jade in the purple sun; she wore cloud-patterned robes and embraced the crimson clouds.
It sounds like something a precious, pampered daughter would say.
Chu Yueyuan believed that her mother was poorly educated and missed her heartless husband who never stepped into her courtyard, so she gave her this nickname.
She instinctively disliked the word "nian nian".
Until the night of the Lantern Festival, the man repeated her nickname in a deep, mellow voice, reciting the line from the Book of Songs: "How can I not think of my beloved? The Qi River cannot be crossed."
Perhaps longing exists not only among lovers, but also among family members who feel reluctant to part.
Perhaps every time her mother called her Niannian, it was as if she was leaving a trace of longing in her heart.
In her dream, her kindly smiling mother was gradually swallowed by the dazzling sunlight. Chu Yueyuan felt a pang of panic and hurriedly reached out to grab her...
"Your Highness?"
The man's deep voice pulled her back to reality from her dream. Chu Yueyuan's thick eyelashes trembled, but her physical exhaustion prevented her from opening her eyes. She could only vaguely hear the sounds around her.
First came the slightly hoarse voice of Imperial Physician Huang: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's pulse is stable, but she is weak in qi and blood and her mind is not well nourished. It is likely that she has been worrying too much in her daily life, and the sudden fright caused her to faint due to the extreme emotional fluctuations. As long as the Empress Dowager wakes up and drinks a few doses of calming medicine to regulate her body, she will be fine."
Oh no! The prescriptions written by Imperial Physician Huang are notoriously bitter and astringent! Xiao Yun secretly calls him the Old Man of Yellow Lotus.
No, no!
Chu Yueyuan subconsciously furrowed her brows, her slightly trembling fingertips brushing across the man's calloused palm, like a cat's tail gently stroking it, carrying a hint of resistance.
"Then I will trouble Imperial Physician Huang to prepare medicine for the Empress Dowager."
"This humble official takes his leave."
Pei Muwei looked down at the sleeping Empress Dowager on the bed. The woman's skin was originally fair and translucent, but the last trace of color on her cheeks and lips had faded, and her two thin eyebrows were slightly furrowed, like a porcelain doll without any paint, lacking her usual charming vitality.
Excessive worry?
What is the young empress dowager thinking about all day long?
With slender fingers, he gently pressed his fingers against the woman's brow, softly rubbing away the small bump.
In her sleep, Chu Yueyuan only felt the man's fingertips were slightly warm, and the just-right pressure made her feel very comfortable. She drowsily turned her head to chase after the warmth that was giving her warmth.
The soft, fragrant touch of the palm against his skin caused Pei Muwei's eyes to darken.
The little empress dowager nestled in his palm was just like a piece of delicate, white tofu.
I was afraid of breaking her if I put her down or held her tightly.
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